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This article is more than 1 year old
Google's Wi-Fi snoop nabbed passwords and emails
French inspection
The Wi-Fi traffic collected by Google's world-roving Street View cars included passwords and email, according to a report citing a preliminary study from the French data protection authority.
IDG reports that the French National Commission on Computing and Liberty (CNIL) has examined part of the data, after it was turned over by Google. "It's still too early to say what will happen as a result of this investigation," CNIL told IDG.
"However, we can already state that [...] Google did indeed record e-mail access passwords [and] extracts of the content of email messages."
On May 14, contradicting previous assertions, Google said that its Street View cars had spent three years collecting payload data from unsecured W-Fi network across the globe. Previously, the company had said that in scanning open Wi-Fi networks, the cars were collecting only the SSIDs that identified the networks and MAC addresses that identified particular network hardware, including routers. Google uses this data in products that rely on location data, such as Google Maps.
In admitting it intercepted payloads as well, Google said that it only collected "fragments" of data, adding that its cars "are on the move" and that its in-car Wi-Fi equipment automatically changes channels roughly five times a second. But according to the CNIL – an independent authority that oversees the country's data laws – at least some (very) personal data was captured intact.
Google captured data in thirty different countries. Some countries asked the company to delete the data – and in some cases, it complied – while others have requested that the data be kept for the time being so that the situation could be investigated. On June 4, Google shared the data its cars had collected in France with the CNIL. The CNIL told IDG that it was the first country to receive data from Google. Spain and Germany have also requested the data captured within their borders. ®


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David and Michael Hill: From muck to sand, veggies to blueberries
• In 1998, the state told Billy Long and David Hill to shut it all down. Seven years later, Long was inducted into the Florida Agriculture Hall of Fame, and continued farming and partnered on another farm at Stuart, Fla. Hill moved on and looked for something different in agriculture, yet with profit potential.• Now, Hill farms with his 25-year-old son, Michael, on high sandy ground outside Clermont, surrounded by orange trees. You won't find citrus on their place, though — when they moved here and left everything behind in Zellwood they put their money into landscaping trees.
September 20, 2012
After Florida's buyout of farmson Lake Apopka in 1998 David and Michael Hill could have waved goodbye to farming forever. The Lake Apopka Restoration Act, signed into law by Gov. Lawton Chiles, aimed at making the lake waters pristine once again. The way to do it, of course, was to give farmers the boot.
David Hill farmed that rich muck soil with his father-in-law, Billy Long, with 1,000 acres of carrots, radishes, sweet corn and other crops. Just about everyone in Florida agriculture knew of Billy Long's exploits at Lake Apopka. After moving there in 1953, he became a top sweet corn grower, introducing new varieties that revolutionized the business.
Long grew some of the first carrots in the Lake Apopka area and owned a large packinghouse that shipped the product around the world. He was instrumental in forming a carrot concentrate co-op, which established the first carrot concentrate plant in the U.S. at Eustis.
In 1965, the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce named Billy Long the nation's outstanding young farmer. He served on many advisory committees, including those established by the governor of Florida.
But in 1998, the state told Billy Long and David Hill to shut it all down. Seven years later, Long was inducted into the Florida Agriculture Hall of Fame, and continued farming and partnered on another farm at Stuart, Fla. Hill moved on and looked for something different in agriculture, yet with profit potential.
Now, Hill farms with his 25-year-old son, Michael, on high sandy ground outside Clermont, surrounded by orange trees. You won't find citrus on their place, though — when they moved here and left everything behind in Zellwood they put their money into landscaping trees.
(You can read more vegetable news and features at http://southeastfarmpress.com/vegetables-0).
A new beginning
"We sold everything when we left the muck farm — every tractor, every plow, everything," says David Hill. "I wanted something that didn't require a packinghouse and a fleet of tractors.
"By growing a higher-value crop, I could do it with a lot less land. Growing trees offered a way to get in. There are 180 acres here and we put 120 acres in trees. We were looking for land with ag potential. This is sugar sand, the driest stuff you'll ever see. We got the last tract of land in Water Conserve II, with access to reclaimed water from Orlando."
The Hills first planted holly trees.Since then they've added a wide range of landscaping plants: crepe myrtle, red maple, magnolia, cypress and others. Just about when things got rolling well, the hurricanes of 2004-2005 hit, followed by the housing crash brought on by the economic recession.
All the while, they'd been watching the blueberry business springing up around them in central Florida and decided to try 20 acres of the crop. That required a good deal of preparatory work, which Michael began soon after graduating from Auburn University with an agricultural economics degree. In college he took few horticulture courses, so he began a full-tilt self-education to learn about blueberries.
Since blueberries do poorly in sandy soil, he brought in pine bark mulch for bedding, The pH here runs as high as 7.0, but blueberries prefer a pH under 5.0. Even the water here has a pH of about 7.0.
"Maintaining pH is critical,"Michael says. "The plants can't get the right growth without it."
Drip and overhead irrigation
He dug ditches for irrigation pipe. The blueberries have both drip irrigation at ground level and overhead irrigation, primarily intended for freeze protection.
"Drip gives better, more efficient water retention and gets better horizontal movement of water," he says.
Michael started young plants in a greenhouse, then transplanted them to the field, where they quickly took off. Now pushing two years of age, they're vigorous and healthy, and even produced some crop this year.
Growing blueberries required the acquisition of new skills, including how to work with hydrogen cyanamide, which is very toxic to humans. He explains that the chemical, "tricks the plant into thinking it has gone dormant," in Florida's warm climate, dropping leaves and putting on new ones a short time later. This enables it to hit the late-March through April market window.
"It has to be sprayed with the right mixture of water, at a certain temperature, when there's no wind and no wet leaves. We have to really watch what's going on with it.
"That's been the biggest learning curve we've faced. No one in the industry can tell the exact time to do it. Every variety reacts differently to the chemical. That's why we've separated varieties by rows. That's the most important and critical thing." It's necessary, he says, to do a decent job with hydrogen cyanamide or the crop's harvest timing could be seriously wrong.
"The blueberry industry here exists because of that market window — in that time period is all of Florida's blueberry market."
Things look promising enough in Florida's blueberry world for them to put an additional 20 acres into the crop, although neither of the Hills expects the recent high blueberry prices enjoyed by Florida growers to continue long-term. They're getting in position to be profitable even when prices drop,
"We don't want to get in over our heads," Michael says, "but we want enough acres so we can still make money even with lower margins. We don't expect ridiculously high prices to continue long. I'm glad we didn't put in all 40 acres at one time because there is a lot to learn about blueberries. I've learned a lot — but I think I have a lot more to go."
Expects quick change
He expects the blueberry industry itself to change relatively quickly, as well.
"I think within five yearsthe Florida industry will be close to machine harvesting of the blueberry crop," he says. "To do that, we're going to have to develop varieties with strong skin. We're still a few years away from a good machine harvestable variety.
"We just planted ours and they're in for 10 years. They won't get into full production until the third or fourth year. It would be hard to pull them out for another variety because we have a lot of front-end money in them, and there'd be all that lost time."
Michael seems surprised when asked why he came back here to farm rather than to pursuing a corporate position after college graduation.
"This is what I wanted to do," he says. "I'm happy here. Absolutely. Besides, working in an office all day would drive me stir-crazy. I put in the irrigation pipe, I dug the trenches, I worked with the bushes in the greenhouse, and then planted them. Now look at them — there's no better feeling than to look back at what you've done and see that it worked."
His father is glad Michael made that decision.
"He wanted to be in farming, and I certainly wanted to farm with him. Everything was just right for him to come back," David says.
"It's a problem when a farmer has nobody in the family to take over the farm. It's a worse problem when a child wants to come back to the farm and there's nothing for him to do. We had plenty here for Michael to do."
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More after the jump...
© Glendon Mellow 2010
Mixed media: oil paint on slate, acrylic string gel, wood, wire
* * *
This was the final project of my undergraduate career. The original version, handed in a week ago was poorly constructed and fell apart immediately after class. I admit - I have a painter's vanity, and spent waaaay more time on the painting than the construction of the cube. So, with instructions from my professor to tweak some things and add some things, I re-worked the cube.
And lugged tons of heavy, delicate-and-flaky painted stone on a 90 minute commute back to school and reassembled it.
Aesthetically, my aim was to create something you could look at from multiple angles and keep discovering new things. Scientifically, I wanted to mess with the idea of the descent of a made-up winged trilobite: this idea changed into a whimsical look at the fossils and artifacts in the flying trilobite's soil.
Degree. Done!
Thanks to all my friends and family and bloggy friends and commenters for all their support. And especially, thanks to my wife Michelle for all of her encouragement and help in me going back to school. You rock.
I'll post grad photos in June.
You can see the process of this here: one, two, three, four.
- - - - - - - -
Original artwork on The Flying Trilobite Copyright to Glendon Mellow B.F.A.
under Creative Commons Licence.
Flying Trilobite Gallery *** Flying Trilobite Reproduction Shop ***
"How many wood glues died to make this project?! You monster!"


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Two researchers recognized at symposium
Two William & Mary scientists working in the laboratory of R. A. Lukaszew recently were recognized at the 57th International Symposium of the American Vacuum Society.
Postdoctoral researcher Cesar Clavero won the Magnetic Interfaces and Nanostructures Division (MIND) Postdoctoral Award, while Lei Wang was a finalist for the MIND Leo Falicov Graduate Student Award. Each honor includes a cash award.
"Both of them have shown true dedication to their projects and it is a pleasure to have them in my group," said Lukaszew, the Distinguished VMEC Associate Professor of Applied Science and Physics. "Their triumphs also contribute to showcasing the leading edge research that is carried out at the College of William and Mary."
Clavero's research involves structure-property correlations in thin films, nanostructures and interfaces. He won his award for his presentation "Probing Induced Magnetism in Vanadium Nano-islands on Cr by Spin-polarized STM." He is a co-author on the paper, which was based on experiments carried out with Lukaszew and other researchers at the Center for Nanoscale Materials at Argonne National Laboratory.
Wang is a Ph.D. student in physics and was recognized for her contribution to "Correlated Structural and Magnetic Studies of Capping and Seed Layer Dependent Epitaxial FePd Thin Films," work on which Clavero and Lukaszew were co-authors, along with graduate student J.R. Skuza. "It is worth noting that this was Lei's second international conference participation after only two years of graduate work," Lukaszew said.


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Physical and Environmental Security Policy
Chapter 3438
Issued April 15, 2009; Revised January 9, 2023
Table of Contents
.010 Purpose
.020 Scope
.030 Effective Date
.040 Policy
.050 Definitions
.060 Roles and Responsibilities
.070 Implementing Procedures
.080 Related Laws, Regulations, or Policies
.100 Questions/Waivers
.010 Purpose
This policy defines the requirements for protecting university information and technology resources from physical and environmental threats in order to reduce the risk of loss, theft, damage, or unauthorized access to those resources, or interference with K-State operations.
.020 Scope
This policy applies to all university colleges, departments, administrative units, and affiliated organizations that use university information technology resources to create, access, store or manage University Data to perform their business functions.
.030 Effective Date
This policy became effective on March 31, 2009.
.040 Policy
All University information and technology resources should have appropriate physical and environmental security controls applied commensurate with identified risks.
.050 Definitions
- Core network facilities
- The cabling, equipment, and network/telecommunications rooms associated with the high speed backbone of K-State's campus network that carries aggregated network traffic for all the buildings and external network connections (e.g., the KanREN, Internet, and Internet2 connections).
- Mobile storage devices
- Any easily movable device that stores University data, including but not limited to laptop computers, smartphones, external hard drives, and USB flash drives.
- Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS)
- A device designed to provide power, without delay, during any period when the normal power supply is incapable of performing acceptably.
- University Data
- Any data related to Kansas State University ("University") functions that are a) stored on University information technology systems, b) maintained by K-State faculty staff, or students, or c) related to institutional processes on or off campus. This applies to any format or media (in other words, it is not limited to electronic data).
.060 Roles and Responsibilities
Responsibility for physical and environmental security of K-State information and technology resources is shared by the individuals using these systems, units that own them, and system administrators responsible for managing the systems.
.070 Implementing Procedures
- Physical Security
- Network wiring and equipment – Network wiring and equipment rooms and cabinets must be locked when unattended with access limited to authorized personnel (typically network support staff) and visitors escorted by said authorized personnel. Other network cabling and devices should likewise be physically secured where feasible. Core network facilities should have the date and time of entry and departure recorded.
- Office doors – All office doors should remain locked after hours or when offices are unattended for a prolonged period of time.
- Mobile storage devices – Mobile storage devices should be stored securely when unattended. Appropriate secure storage methods include a locking security cable attached directly to the device, storage in a locked cabinet or closet, storage in a locked private office, or the like. Encrypting data stored on mobile devices, such as whole disk encryption on laptop computers, likewise reduces the risk of a breach of University Data resulting from theft, loss, or unauthorized access. When traveling with mobile storage devices or using them in public places, appropriate security precautions should be taken to prevent loss, theft, damage, or unauthorized access. Use of tracking and recovery software on laptop computers is encouraged.
- Network wiring and equipment – Network wiring and equipment rooms and cabinets must be locked when unattended with access limited to authorized personnel (typically network support staff) and visitors escorted by said authorized personnel. Other network cabling and devices should likewise be physically secured where feasible. Core network facilities should have the date and time of entry and departure recorded.
- Environmental Security
- Electrical power – Electrical power for servers hosting enterprise and departmental services must be protected by uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) to ensure continuity of services during power outages and to protect equipment from damage due to power irregularities. Each UPS should have sufficient capacity to provide at least 30 minutes of uptime to the systems connected to it. Systems hosting confidential data should also be protected with a standby power generator where feasible.
.080 Related Laws, Regulations, or Policies
- K-State Data Classification and Security Policy
- K-State Network/Telecommunications Space Accommodations Policy - specifies physical security for network and telecommunications facilities.
- State of Kansas, ITEC Information Technology Security Standards Policy 7230A (PDF)
- ISO/IEC 27002:2013: Information technology – Security techniques – Code of practice for information security management, published by the International Standards Organization. This is an international security standard that specifies physical and environmental security controls to protect assets from loss, theft, damage, and unauthorized access.
.100 Questions/Waivers
The Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer (CIO) is responsible for this policy. The CIO or designee must approve any exception to this policy or related procedures. Questions should be directed to the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).


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Greetings all, happy Monday, I'm just putting the finishing touches on the boy's room, then I need to snap some photos. I can't wait to show it to you! It's all finished just in time for his 5th Birthday (which is today, hooray)!
Meanwhile, I thought it would be so fun to have a series of link parties throughout the spring and summer with topics for discussion. These will be specific subjects, and I hope you'll join me in a party or two. I'm calling each of them a 'Fair Weather Forum' because they are all related to topics specific to these seasons. Consider this your invitation to link up your best tips or latest project on the topic of the day.
These ten link parties will take place on Mondays twice a month.
Here is the schedule of topics:
March 28th: Spring Decorating & Cleaning
April 11th: Easter Ideas
April 25th: All Things Paint!
May 16th: Outdoor Décor & Entertaining
May 30th: Garage & Yard Sales
June 13th: Summer Activities (Favorites & With Kids)
June 27th: Fourth of July Ideas
July 11th: Favorite Vacation Spots
July 25th: Gardening
August 15th: BBQs and Picnics
I'll be writing up a post on the topic on the scheduled day of the forum, or featuring a new project. I hope you'll join in on the fun, and link up with your ideas, plus see what others have to say on the topic. It should be a great sharing and learning experience.
Mark your calendars, see you there!


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Story highlights
"Mohawk Guy" Bobak Ferdowsi became the face of the Mars rover team
President Obama acknowledged Ferdowsi's style in a phone call Monday
Ferdowsi's unique hairdo is a form of self-expression not everyone can get away with
An expert says style codes have relaxed over the years, depending on the workplace
Bobak Ferdowsi launched into Internet superstardom last week for helping guide the rover Curiosity in its journey to the surface of Mars.
Well, that and his red-and-black Mohawk.
President Obama even acknowledged Ferdowsi, now commonly referred to as the "Mohawk Guy," in a congratulatory call to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Monday.
"It does sound like NASA has come a long way from the white-shirt, black dark-rimmed glasses and the pocket protectors," Obama told the Mars Curiosity team. "You guys are a little cooler than you used to be."
"I, in the past, thought about getting a Mohawk myself – but my team keeps on discouraging me," Obama joked.
Stylish despite medical setbacks
When it comes to personal style in the workplace, there are no hard and fast rules. What is suitable changes with where you work and what you do. Fortunately, some sartorial adventurers are able to reconcile their need to express themselves with their need for a paycheck.
"Dress codes have most certainly relaxed over time, particularly since the introduction of 'jeans Fridays' and dot-com era casual attire," said Judah Kurtz, of BPI group, a human resources consulting firm in Chicago, Illinois. "What is considered 'appropriate' varies by company and culture, as well as what parts of the house are strictly internal versus client/public facing,"
"Dress code policies walk a fine line between portraying a professional image to clients and customers while allowing employees to be comfortable, engaged, and expressive," said Kevin Sheridan, senior vice president of HR optimization at Avatar HR Solutions, also in Chicago.
Jillian Venters, a 43-year-old technical writer from Seattle, Washington, says it's crucial to have some personal branding around – whether it's funky jewelry, photos of loved ones or favorite movie and music memorabilia – to keep you sane at work.
"No matter how great your job and co-workers may be, the corporate world can be very stressful and draining. It's all too easy to become devoured by your job and to forget that there are things outside of the cubicle and status reports," she said. "Maintaining your own sense of identity helps you stay grounded, and reminds you that you are more than your job."
Known as the "Goth at the office," Venters might sport a top hat, knee-length lace coat and a full petticoat skirt on an average workday. She attempts to document each day's ensemble on her Tumblr account.
While she has endured her fair share of funny looks and moments when she needed to tone down her appearance, Venters says ultimately her sense of style benefits her career.
"I've walked into interviews and had the hiring manager say, 'Oh right, you're the goth girl. I've heard good things about you and you know all our tools. Can you start on Monday?'" Venters said. "Once I've started on a job and met my co-workers, everyone remembers who I am, which is great for gathering information."
Dying careers and thriving careers: The jobs of tomorrow
Like Venters, Kristi Blicharski, a Los Angeles-based empowerment coach and business strategist, thinks it's important to encourage the uniqueness of others without judgment because it emboldens both confidence and creativity.
"Studies have shown that when we look good on the outside, we feel good on the inside, and what's important to recognize is that everyone has their own unique feelings about what makes them look and feel their best," she said. "Why try to inhibit that?"
With blue streaks running through her hair, Blicharski said "expressing yourself in a way that makes you feel like your best self is the new power suit."
Mars rover mission's 'Mohawk Guy' inspires Obama
Of course, some people believe corporate dress code policy should remain sacred.
Six Flags theme parks came under fire last month after job applicant MarKeese Warner, an engineering student at Pennsylvania State University, claimed she was denied a summer job because of her dreadlocks hairstyle. Warner started a Change.org petition to protest what she claimed were Six Flags' discriminatory policies against people with dreadlocks.
A Six Flags spokeswoman confirmed that the company does not permit employees to wear dreadlocks. "We maintain a grooming code for employees that includes standard uniforms and no visible tattoos, beards, dreadlocks or extreme hairstyles (such as drastic variations in color or partially shaven heads)," said Nancy Krejsa, senior vice president of investor relations and corporate communications.
Many companies have formal dress code policies, including UBS which has a 44-page document with specific stipulations that disallow women from wearing more than seven pieces of jewelry and men from wearing cufflinks.
Franki Brandt-Pethtel, the Director of Operations for Bond Jewelers in the Tampa Bay Area, thinks maintaining a proper dress code shows respect for your employer, clients and yourself.
"Would you purchase an expensive piece of fine jewelry from a woman with a green Mohawk and sleeve full of tats? That's why I wear a suit to work every day. My personal expression can wait until my day off," she said.
While it's ultimately up to each organization's culture to deem what is fit, human resource professionals, like Sheridan and Kurtz, say general dress guidelines are useful as they create some parameters and expectations around what is considered appropriate.
At the same time, allowing some freedom of individual expression can have positive impacts on company culture and employee satisfaction.
"You may be memorable, but make sure you are memorable for the right reasons," said Kurtz.
"Be yourself, but don't let your appearance or behaviors detract from your selling points: your intelligence, accomplishments, strengths and experience."
Do you think there should be corporate dress code policies? How have you worked within the rules to create your personal style? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.


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Redshirt effect
The redshirt effect is the popular name for induced apathia, a phenomenon that allows people to encounter death and suffering of others with little emotional energy.
The redshirts are those red-shirted guys in Star Trek who have no name and always die, especially on away missions. They tend to get shot, be eaten alive, be eaten dead, have their blood drained, be stabbed mercilessly, have a giant spear shoved through the chest, fall down bottomless pits, get mauled by hideous animals, get vaporized by angry energy beings, or occasionally fail to rematerialize during teleportation. These red-shirted personnel have no families that matter nor do they have memorial services. None of the command crew remember the sacrifices that the red-shirted have made for the good of the United Federation of Planets.
The phenomenon of induced apathia was initially investigated in the late 1930s by German scientists serving under the Nazi regime. One of the immediate applications of induced apathia was the murder of millions of Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, and political dissidents without remorse.
Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, believed that induced apathia, used in the service of evil during World War II, could be put to use for good in the future Utopian society depicted in Star Trek. As explained in the original Star Trek, the red uniforms worn by personnel contained special fibers which created reduced empathy in others, particularly those in leadership positions. Thus, the red-shirted personnel could be expended for the good of the United Federation of Planets without consideration for their families, their suffering, or the cost of their funerals. Furthermore, the psychological effects on the command crew would be minimal. In this way, Captain Kirk, Bones, and Spock could have their amusing conversational exchanges amidst the many battles and widespread destruction. In Roddenberry's universe, the ability to expend human life for the greater good contributes greatly to the functioning of an ideal Utopian society.
While clothing fibers that create induced apathia exist of course only in the realm of science fiction, the real science of the redshirt effect has been well understood since the 1960s. When large numbers of people are placed in a dangerous and hazardous situation, their nervous systems emit an electromagnetic wave that reduces the empathy in other people. The electromagnetic wave is unusual in that it grows stronger with distance; in other words, observers further away would experience increased induced apathia. The effect is synergistic with melanin pigments contained in the skin. Thus, people with dark skin colors tend to create more powerful induced apathia fields. On the other hand, wealth and power tend to mitigate the magnitude of the redshirt effect. Thus, being wealthy or politically connected reduces the apathy created by the redshirt effect.
People under the effect of an induced apathia field become inured to the suffering of others. Visual scenes of death and suffering become a blur. Any memory of death, suffering, or thought of affected family members fades into amnesia. In addition, the normal psychological trauma caused by death or suffering is minimal or non-existent.
In order for society to function well, the politically powerful must be able to send expendable members (especially the poor and powerless) to their deaths without much remorse. Captains of industry must be able to create suffering among their workers without burdensome workplace rules and to call for random layoffs without having to endure negative psychological guilt. Thus, the redshirt effect has many applications in today's society. Without the redshirt effect, people would actually care. This caring would cause wars, genocide, and poverty to become impossible and hence would result in the collapse of high civilization and the established order.
With increasing frequency, political and business leaders have been creating induced apathia fields to practical effect. During the nineteenth century, the United States government inadvertently applied the redshirt effect while ethnically cleansing the Native Americans from the North American continent; the subsequent business and real estate opportunities resulting from the genocide were hence enjoyed without much guilt or remorse. After World War II, the Soviet Union and China applied the redshirt effect to allow their Communist leaderships to spout inspiring socialistic propaganda while simultaneously allowing millions of inhabitants of both nations to die of starvation and hardship. Israel in the 1990s under Ariel Sharon used the redshirt effect in order to allow Israelis to enjoy a prosperous economy and way of life even as Palestinians were enduring suffering and death caused by the Israeli government's policies.
The redshirt effect has most recently been used, with great political results, by the Bush administration in the United States. Some examples are given below.
Problem | Redshirt Effect Solution |
Dead bodies coming home from an unjustified war could be a political liability and reduce support for tax cuts to the wealthy. | The dead—mostly black, Latino, poor, or blue collar—disappear into a fog of forgetfulness. Nobody cares. |
Families of dead soldiers asking for accountability and and end to death are a distraction from the agenda of decimating Social Security. | The families—mostly black, Latino, poor, or blue collar, and certainly powerless and not rich—vanish into a miasma of indifference. Those in power can let their beautiful minds remain unsullied by empathy and caring. |
A natural disaster which kills thousands and leaves hundreds of thousands homeless distracts from an agenda of cutting estate taxes for multimillionaires. | The victims, mostly black and poor, evaporate into a puff of apathy. FEMA is allowed to be run by political hacks from the Department of Homeland Security. |
See also
Featured Article (read another featured article) | Featured version: 10 December 2005 |
This article has been featured on the main page. — You can vote for or nominate your favourite articles at Uncyclopedia:VFH. |


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Vice President
First Lady
Mrs. Cheney
News & Policies
History & Tours
Your Government
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Former Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz
On February 5, 2001, President Bush announced his intention to nominate Dr. Paul Wolfowitz to be Deputy Secretary of
Defense. He was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on Feb. 28th and sworn in March 2, 2001 as the 28th Deputy
Secretary of Defense. This is Dr. Wolfowitz's third tour of duty in the Pentagon.
For the last seven years, Dr. Wolfowitz has served as Dean and Professor of International Relations at the Paul H.
Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of The Johns Hopkins University. SAIS is widely regarded as one
of the world's leading graduate schools of international relations with 750 students, studying on campuses in
Washington, D.C.; Nanjing, China; and Bologna, Italy. As Dean, he led a successful capital campaign that raised more
than $75 million and doubled the school's endowment. Also under his leadership, the curriculum and facilities were
modernized and new faculty and programs were added to shift the school's focus from the Cold War to the era of
From 1989 to 1993, Dr. Wolfowitz served as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in charge of the 700-person defense
policy team that was responsible to Secretary Dick Cheney for matters concerning strategy, plans, and policy. During
this period Secretary Wolfowitz and his staff had major responsibilities for the reshaping of strategy and force
posture at the end of the Cold War.
Under his leadership, the Policy Staff played a major role in reviewing war plans for the Gulf War, and developing and
executing plans that successfully raised more than $50 billion in Allied financial support for the war and prevented
Iraq from opening a second front with Israel. Other key initiatives included the development of the Regional Defense
Strategy, the Base Force, and two presidential nuclear initiatives that led to the elimination of tens of thousands of
U.S. and Soviet nuclear weapons.
During the Reagan administration, Dr. Wolfowitz served for three years as U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia - the fourth
largest country in the world and the largest in the Moslem world. There he earned a reputation as a highly popular and
effective Ambassador, a tough negotiator on behalf of American intellectual property owners, and a public advocate of
political openness and democratic values. During his tenure, Embassy Jakarta was cited as one of the four best-managed
embassies inspected in 1988.
Prior to that posting, he served three and a half years as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific
Affairs, where he was in charge of U.S. relations with more than twenty countries. In addition to contributing to
substantial improvements in U.S. relations with Japan and China, Assistant Secretary Wolfowitz played a central role in
coordinating the U.S. policy toward the Philippines that supported a peaceful transition from the dictatorship of
Ferdinand Marcos to democracy.
Dr. Wolfowitz's previous government service included:
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Media Resources for Economics
Music Resources | News Resources | Video Resources | Visualization Resources | Worth a Look | Creating Your Own Media
Music Resources
Music for Econ by Brian O'Roark contain dozens of animated songs that provide an economic interpretation of the artist's original lyrics.
Flat World Economics This is an album consisting of 8 original economics songs in an MP3 format.
Bailout by Merle Hazard. Created in 2009, this country song and video focuses on the financial crisis.
back to top
News Resources
Media for Microeconomics A database over 300 citations to audio and video stories about topics covered in principles of microeconomics from major news outlets.
Stossel in the Classroom A set of videos by John Stossel (mostly from his reports on 20/20) for use in both microeconomics and macroeconomics courses.
Freakonomics Radio Podcasts from Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, authors of Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics.
NBC Learn Micro and Macroeconomics news footage from NBC. High quality and very current.
Audioecon makes economics instruction more engaging for students by providing economic issues and stories via audio content.
Video Resources
Econ 1-0-What? Contains hundreds of "fair use" video clips that can be used to teach economics. Highly recommended!
Movies for Economics Provides a database of feature films that relate to economics.
Television for Economists Provides a database of television episodes that relate to economics.
The Economics of Seinfeld This website showcases scenes from Seinfeld that are useful in teaching economic concepts.
Teaching Economics with YouTube Contains a set of teaching resources of interest to economists that can be found on You Tube.
Economics U$A 28 videos that can be used to learn introductory economics.
Commanding Heights Three-part, six-hour documentary on the effect of globalization on the world's economies.
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Visualization Resources
Econmemes Hundreds of funny econ-related memes.
Gapminder This extensive, and unique, approach to utilizing data increases student interaction with statistical data by producing videos, Flash presentations and PDF charts showing major global development trends with animated statistics in colorful graphics.
GeoFred This web page provides an application that allows users to create thematic maps based on a particular set of economic data.
The Decline: The Geography of a Recession This visualization by LaToya Egwuekwe, chronicles the onset of the Great Recession of 2007-1010 using unemployment rates by county.
Visualizing Economics This website provides a large set of interesting visualizations on a variety of topics related to economics.
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Worth a Look
Journal Economic Education on-line section Provides a extensive list of media for use in face-to-face instruction and also in the inverted classroom.
Game Theory.net Has an extensive online listing of popular culture references to game theory.
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Creating Your Own Media
One does not need a large budget, fancy studio, or Ph.D. in economics to create original media that is informative, funny, entertaining, and educational.
Here are some examples:
- (http://www.musicforecon.com) Music for Economics, includes a method for transforming popular music into Flash animations about economics. The website describes the method in detail. Many of the postings have been designed and created by students from economics courses around the country. A knowledge of Flash is not required. Many instructors can achieve the same objectives by having their students use PowerPoint, a platform that many students are already quite familiar with.
- Every Breathe Bernanke Takes This highly original YouTube video created by the Columbia Business School uses The Police's classic song, "Every Breathe You Take" to poke fun at Fed Chair, Ben Bernanke.
- Hey Paul Krugman (A Song, A Plea) A song, featured on YouTube, asking Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman to work on the Financial Crisis Bailout.
- Econ Remix A YouTube video produced by four students in Dirk Mateer's Principles of Microeconomics course.
- Can't Spend This This parody is a remake of MC Hammer's Can't Touch This produced by five students in Kim Holder's Macroeconomics course.


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Hello! As promised, I have a full recap of our day at the Michigan Renaissance Festival to share today. Check out what we were up to before we arrived for the first part of our #DetroitDateNight adventures if you're so inclined.
A trip out to Holly isn't technically Detroit, but the point of our D-themed date nights (or days) is to experience new things around our area. That we did!
2015 Michigan Renaissance Festival
Scott and I took about a 30 minute drive from the Rochester Hills area and arrived at Hollygrove Grounds for the 37th MIRF (Michigan Renaissance Festival) mid-afternoon on the very first day of the 2015 kick-off Saturday!
We purchased one-day tickets at the door, but I now understand that you can purchase the same tickets in advance at discount prices from places like Subway, Dunkin' Donuts, Kroger, Walgreens, and more.
The Michigan Renaissance Festival is an annual event that has been going strong for 37 years! Located at Hollygrove Grounds (Dixie Highway), the Festival attracts more than 250,000 visitors from all over the state of Michigan, surrounding states, and even Canada.
It was impressive to walk into acres upon acres of fairgrounds that were solely occupied by 16th Century themed buildings and castles. Where else do you see that?
The MIRF first began in 1979, and attracted 11,000 visitors during its first five-day weekend! Today, the Festival extends through seven weekends including Labor Day Monday and Festival Friday.
Scott found out about the Festival by searching for things to do in the area and took me as a surprise on the very first day of the events. We were definitely in the minority by wearing normal weekend wear!
Walking up to the grounds, it was clear that I was one of the few who was surprised to be in attendance. Most patrons came decked out – head to toe – in 16th century costumes and dress.
We were handed a Festival directory map of events and found plenty to do. The first thing we ran into was a stage show. There were multiple stages that featured live entertainment acts (music, comedy, and shows) all day long!
There were multiple marketplace areas where you could find glassware, goblets, jewelry, and and overwhelming amount of Renaissance clothing.
The Festival was very family friendly, and had a lot of activities specifically catered to kids like face painting, man-powered kiddie rides, and a children's tea party area. There were pony rides and even camel rides for both kids and adults!
If you come to the Festival, make sure to bring your appetite with you. We didn't come very hungry, so we missed out on the baked goods (rumor on the streets is that there is a 100-layer cinnamon roll somewhere! <- what?), soup in bread bowls, Scotch eggs, apple dumplings, and the ever-popular turkey legs!
There are several special event tickets you can purchase for an additional fee that includes private dinners, shows, and even pub crawls.
We didn't opt to do any of those, but we did join the pub crawl for few minutes while enjoying a round of ciders!
The main event we planned to attend was the jousting show. This attracted quite the crowd, and most gathered around early to ensure a spot to see the games begin.
All of the knights were fighting to save the Queen, and eventually there was only one left standing.
We took our time strolling through the grounds and eventually found the 16th century game area. Scott talked me into shooting a bow and arrow, which I quickly learned I was horrible at. I shot a fake deer once out of five times, and it was purely by luck. I'm no Katniss.
Next up was axe throwing! I couldn't believe we could just walk up, hand them a couple of dollars, and have at it. It seems dangerous, no?
The man working the booth gave us a few pointers and cautioned us to be extremely aware of everything happening around us. As it turns out, I was pretty good at throwing axes. I hit and stuck two out of the three in the wall!
I guess that will come in handy next time I need to fight off any zombies or vampires.
The Festival closed at 7 p.m., so the crowds started dying down around 6 or so. I was itching to try a chili in a bread bowl or turkey leg, but we decided to make one last lap around and have dinner at home instead.
Our first time visiting the Michigan Renaissance Festival was an interesting one for sure. We had a great time, but I can't enthusiastically say that I will be dying to attend year after year.
It's always fun to see people in costumes, dive into fair food like kettle corn and turkey legs, and see a variety of people and entertaining stage acts, and the my favorite part was the free events like the jousting show! At $22 per ticket and at least $5 per food item (although parking was free), you should expect to spend a good amount of money for the day.
While the Festival is very family friendly, I'm not sure I would say the same for the shows and live entertainment. A lot of the acts could easily offend those who don't have an open mind. We enjoyed some of them, but I just wanted to throw it out there.
We would go back to see the Michigan Renaissance Festival again next year, but we would probably bring a group of friends along. It would also be fun to bring kids and have them dress up in costumes. Oh, and there were so many dogs dressed in costumes, too! They were adorable.
We loved the live music (and especially the bands with bag pipes and drums), and I would be interested in coming back closer to Halloween to experience their Halloween in Hollygrove events.
Don't worry… I'll bring plenty of axes. Huzzah!
Questions of the Day
• Have you ever attended a Renaissance Festival? Did you dress up?
• What is your favorite type of festival theme?
Scott and I love attending festivals and would frequent them while living in Orlando. One of our favorites year after year is the Scottish Highland Games. You can see a super old throwback post (and video) here. Get your kilt on a enjoy!


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Collective nouns are used to describe a group or collection of individuals. This includes groups of people, animals and inanimate objects.
They have developed throughout the history of the English language, with new collective nouns still being created, although time will tell if these latest additions will survive (think "a hood of bro's", "a array of geeks").
Many of the collective nouns for animals were developed by the British upper classes in the medieval period to serve the dual purposes of helping with hunting and to differentiate themselves from the working classes.
Below are some examples of collective nouns:
- A crowd of people
- A class of students
- An orchestra of musicians.
View more collective nouns for people.
- A flock of sheep
- A murder of crows
- A colony of ants.
Browse more collective nouns for animals.
- A bunch of flowers
- A belt of asteroids
- A quiver of arrows
Get more collective nouns for objects.
Collective nouns are considered one of the 'oddities' of the English language, with a large amount of terms used. Some of these a pretty unusual, such as:
- A parliament of owls
- A smack of jellyfish
- A cowardice of curs
This site contains a full list of collective nouns for you to browse.
For a more detailed definition on using collective nouns, see the 'what is a collective noun' page. This includes a look at using singular or plural verbs, as well as the difference between American and British use and some of the rules when using collective nouns.
For further examples on how to use collective nouns, see the 'examples of collective nouns' page.


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Book Blast: Lock and Key by T. Strange (Excerpt + Giveaway)
Book Information:
Author Name: T. Strange
Book Name: Lock and Key
Release Date: April 29, 2015
Publisher: Torquere Press
Cover Artist: B.S. Clay
Buy The Book:
After meeting Terry at a motorcycle show, Gavin is sure he's found the man of his dreams. While he's fantasized about BDSM for years, Gavin has never had a play partner and Terry is happy to teach him. After playing together for a few months, Terry has to leave on a business trip. Terry gives Gavin the key to his apartment so Gavin can sleep in, but Gavin isn't sure he's ready for that level of commitment. While he likes and trusts Terry—and loves the kinky sex they have together—Gavin has to decide which he can't give up: Terry, or his freedom. Part one was originally published as Boots and Leather by Torquere Press.
Pages or Words: 18,000 words
Categories: BDSM, Romance, humor, Contemporary, M/M Romance, Erotica, Fiction, Gay Fiction
Weighed down by groceries and a bulging duffle bag, I rang Terry's doorbell.
"It's open!" he called.
I left the bag in the entryway so he wouldn't see it and brought the groceries to the kitchen. He was wearing jeans, an apron and nothing else, and he was sexy as hell. I wanted him to ravish me, right there, right then, but he was busily stirring and chopping and other mysterious kitchen pursuits—I'm not much of a cook.
"Don't come into the bedroom." I kissed his shoulder.
"Sure." He gave my butt a quick pat before turning back to his frying pan.
Making sure he wasn't watching, I carried the heavy bag down the hall to Terry's bedroom and started unpacking my goodies.
I've known I was interested in BDSM for a long time, though I'd never had a play partner of my very own before Terry. Every now and then I'd see something in an adult store or on a website that I just had to buy, for private use or the hope that I would eventually find a top to play with. "Every now and then" adds up over the years, and soon the bag wouldn't be big enough to hold everything.
I laid it all out on the bed so I could see everything and try to narrow down exactly what I wanted to do with Terry—or rather, have him do to me. As I pulled out each toy, I remembered the fantasy that had made me buy it.
Terry and I haven't discussed roleplaying yet, and I was still too shy to mention it, and worried he'd think I was immature for wanting to play "let's pretend".
Simple was probably best. A scene that took too long to set up could use up all our energy before we'd actually played. I tossed almost everything back in the bag, except for my matching set of black leather wrist and ankle cuffs, and what had quickly become my favorite toy. It was a jockey bat; similar to a riding crop, but the leather tip was hard instead of flappy. Terry has used it in all sorts of ways—using it the way it was intended, flipping it around to hit me with the handle, striking my thighs or ass with the shaft like a cane, even holding it across the backs of my knees to pin me down.
"I'm ready," I called.
"Me too. We'd better eat first, or we might not get around to it."
I was restless. I wanted to play now, but I knew he was right. If we played, we probably wouldn't leave the bed until morning, and the dinner he'd cooked would go to waste. With a final glance at the toys neatly arranged on the bed, I sauntered out to meet him.
"Are you sure you didn't own a restaurant in a past life?" I asked, bumping him with my hip while I grabbed a plate. I thought about serving him, but we hadn't discussed that level of D/s yet, so I only got food for myself.
"I'd go crazy in a restaurant, surrounded by people, everyone in a hurry. I couldn't even do your job." He was used to being his own boss; if he felt like working fourteen hours one day, he did. If he wanted to ride to the coast for the weekend, there was no one to stop him but his own deadlines.
About the author:
T. Strange has been interested in BDSM for as long as she can remember. She and her wife were active participants in their local community for a number of years, but lately they've been focusing more on their own relationship. When not writing or being spanked, T. enjoys gardening, playing with her cats and other animals, and playing video games. She writes vanilla fiction under the same pen name.
Tour Dates & Stops: April 29, 2015
Parker Williams, Chris McHart, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, MM Good Book Reviews, My Fiction Nook, Inked Rainbow Reads, Carly's Book Reviews, BFD Book Blog, Full Moon Dreaming, Kimi-Chan, Bayou Book Junkie, Molly Lolly, Velvet Panic, Up All Night, Read All Day, Cate Ashwood, Dawn's Reading Nook, Bike Book Reviews, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Elisa - My Reviews and Ramblings, The Hat Party, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, 3 Chicks After Dark


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It's not something many of us will ever experience: almost being swallowed by a whale. But that's exactly what happened to a couple guys off the coast of Southern California.
One of these divers happened to be rolling as two of his buddies almost ended up in the belly of a humpback. It happened just north of Pismo Beach off the coast of Avila Beach, about two and half miles off shore.
Shawn Stamback is an avid diver. He does it merely as a hobby. He says he and his diver friends set out to see if they could hear the whales sing.
"You see pictures, representations of how big a humpback whale is compared to a bus, to a jet, when you see one in person that close they are giant, and it blew my mind how big they are," Stamback said.
Everyone made it back safely to the boat. Stamback said he's never swam faster.
When he back to the boat, Stamback said, his buddies had one or two jokes waiting for him: "You're going to have do more to clean that wetsuit."
Fish and wildlife officials say those humpbacks will be highly visible along the coast for the next two months. Closer to home, the Farallon Islands is the place to be to catch a glimpse.


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When I think of my family history the linden tree comes to mind. I suppose that's partly because one branch of my family has the surname of LIPA, which in Polish means, "linden tree". Until I started researching my family history I'd never heard of the linden tree. After a bit of research on the surname, and the tree, I learned that here in the U.S. the linden is sometimes referred to as a basswood tree. The wood from the basswood tree is very lightweight. If you've ever had wooden blinds on your windows, you've had basswood in your home.
In thinking about the type of tree that most reminds me of my family's history, I considered several types of trees. Just because one branch of my family had the LIPA surname does not mean that the characteristics of the linden/basswood tree are similar to the characteristics of my family. So I did a bit of research and discovered that indeed the linden tree and my family have some characteristics in common.
For instance, the linden tree is known to have dense foliage. And, there are several members of my extended family that I also think of as "dense".
"Nuts"? Did you say, nuts? Yes, the linden tree has them (referred to as "fruit") and so does my family. Many, in fact.
The linden tree has a tendency to produce "suckers". And so does my family!
The shape of the foliage on the linden tree is generally conical. Yep, I have some real cone heads in my family too.
Ya see where I'm going with this?
The linden tree is a perfect metaphor for my family tree!
All joking aside, the linden tree has leaves of "gold" in the autumn, and I have some family members who were golden oldies too. They are very precious to me.
The linden has large heart-shaped leaves, and I have some family members with big hearts too.
The linden tree is very popular in Poland. And of course my family's roots come from there as well.
Yes, I would say the linden is the tree that most reminds me of my family's history. And a fine tree it is.
[Written for the 110th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy]


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Published on : Saturday, February 2, 2013
The Cape Town Facebook game was launched by Cape Town Tourism in September 2012 to promote the destination and thousands of entrants from all over the world took part. The lucky winner of the innovative campaign was recently announced as being Jan van der Leeuw from Canada. She wins an all-expenses-paid holiday for herself and her significant other (in this case, her husband).
Van der Leeuw entered the competition and sent her Facebook profile to explore the Mother City virtually, but in the meantime booked a holiday to Cape Town for her husband and herself for April 2013. She takes up her MyCapeTownHoliday.com prize in 2014, which means she will be visiting the Mother City twice in the next two years.
The second prize (for a domestic traveller) goes to Nadia Jeffries, who will enjoy a week-long hosted holiday in Cape Town. The player who got the most friends to play the MyCapeTownHoliday Facebook game was Marianne Bitter of the Netherlands, who won two air tickets to Cape Town (with Virgin Atlantic Airways and Cape Town Tourism).
Mariëtte du Toit-Helmbold, CEO of Cape Town Tourism says, 'The MyCapeTownHoliday.com Facebook game has been an exciting project for us and one which demonstrates the incredible power of sharing on social media.
Gaming is a massive global trend right now that almost goes beyond marketing and into a creative playspace for a brand. Many of the major tourism destination marketing organisations globally have also begun incorporating gamification into their strategies. We researched this field extensively before embarking on our campaign and we have learnt a lot in the process.'
A total of 8,212 people played the Facebook game (over a period of four months) and all participants will now be included in Cape Town Tourism's visitor database.
Source:-south African TourismAfter students complete the test they can always go back and use the read button to re-read the book independently and students can even record themselves reading the book with the record function denoted by the microphone icon


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Story highlights
The state of Rio apologizes to prisoners held during dictatorship
Brazil was a military dictatorship between 1964 and 1985
A truth commission is the strongest step yet toward facing its past
There is still some controversy over the commission
Some 120 Brazilians who were political prisoners during the country's military dictatorship received official apologies from the state of Rio de Janeiro Monday.
Among those the state acknowledged was President Dilma Rousseff, though she was not present herself at the ceremony, held at a gymnasium in Rio that during the dictatorship was used to hold prisoners.
Organizers were expecting the president to attend, but instead, Special Secretary for Human Rights Maria do Rosario came as her representative, said Paula Pinto, spokeswoman for Rio's Secretariat of Social Assistance and Human Rights.
The "reparation ceremony" is the latest in a series of public acknowledgments of abuses during 21 years of military rule from 1964 to 1985.
It's been nearly 30 years since the return of democracy, but the steps toward reconciliation and justice have been uneven.
An amnesty law passed in 1979 was seen as an opening in relations between the military rulers and the opposition on the path to democratization, said Leonardo Avritzer, a professor of political science at the Federal University of Minas Gerais.
Once civilian rule returned, the federal government apologized broadly for abuses, but no blame was placed on any individual. Silence on the issue mostly followed, until now.
Earlier this month, Rousseff swore in a truth commission that will have two years to investigate abuses between 1946 and 1988, a period that includes the dictatorship.
Torture and killings under Brazil's military dictatorship were on a much smaller scale than dictatorial atrocities in nearby Argentina and Chile but, according to Human Rights Watch, at least 475 people disappeared during that period. Thousands of others were detained and tortured.
In Argentina, by contrast, up to 30,000 disappeared.
The magnitude is different, "but the truth is, Brazil never dealt with its past," Avritzer said. "The truth commission is a very important step in facing the past."
So are the apologies and monetary reparations that Rio will give to Rousseff and others. Although the federal government has admitted its role before, Monday's apology is the result of a state law that acknowledges those who were held or tortured in state facilities or held by state forces.
Since 2001, when the state law was passed, 650 people have been paid nearly $10,000 in reparations each, and another 245 are expected to be paid before the end of 2003, said Pinto.
But the most visible action to examine its past is the creation of the truth commission.
"We are not moved by revenge, or hate or a desire to write a history different from what was, but to write an unconcealed history," Rousseff said at the emotional swearing in of the seven commission members. "Brazil deserves the truth, the new generations deserve the truth and above all deserve a factual truth."
Among those named to the commission is Rosa Maria Cardoso Cunha, an attorney who defended Rousseff during the dictatorship.
In a show of support for the truth commission, all of Brazil's living ex-presidents (all post-dictatorship) attended the swearing-in ceremony.
"The commission will be very important in helping to restore the mental health and political balance of Brazilians," said Brazil historian Thomas Skidmore, a professor emeritus at Brown University.
An official accounting of the events will show the importance of the return to democracy of Brazil, said Skidmore, who lived in Brazil during parts of the military rule.
"The military wanted to impose silence to keep the public from knowing the truth about the methods of repression. Further, investigating is aimed at refuting the arguments of the military apologists who always defended themselves by claiming that they were reacting to grave threats by taking 'normal' police measures," he said.
Despite the apologies, reparations and investigation, some wonder if Brazil is tackling its dark past in earnest, noting that the truth commission, has no prosecutorial powers.
International human rights organizations have called on Brazil to revoke the amnesty law and prosecute those responsible, but officials have signaled that the current policy will be maintained.
In a recent case in which the courts were given an alternative around the amnesty law, allowing a dictatorship-era prosecution, the judge backed down.
Brazilian prosecutors in the state of Para filed charges against Col. Sebastiao Curio Rodrigues de Moura for his role in a crackdown that led to the forced disappearances of five guerrillas during the dictatorship. Prosecutors argued that since the bodies were never found and the case was never closed, the amnesty period did not apply.
The judge in the case disagreed, saying in a statement: "To pretend, after more than three decades, to forget about the amnesty law to reopen the discussion over crimes that occurred during the period of the military dictatorship is a mistake that, in addition to lacking legal basis, fails to consider the historical circumstances that, in a large effort of national reconciliation, led to its creation."
However, interpretations of the amnesty law are contested, and there are some who hold out hope that prosecutions may come in the future.
The amnesty law was not meant to cover crimes that happened outside of the official policies of the military regime, Avritzer said. According to this reading of the law, since executions and disappearances were outside of any official policies, they are actionable.
Similarly, in 2010, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that the amnesty law should not prevent authorities from investigating and prosecuting human rights violations committed during military rule.
The courts have held an opposing position, but maybe after the truth commission reveals its findings, the justices may change their view, Avritzer said.
Opposition to examining the dictatorship period has decreased over the years, but it remains controversial.
"There is considerable opposition to it by former military officers," Skidmore said. "A number of the objections have been issued by those generals who departed in the fading hours of the military regime, timed to protect themselves from later prosecution for their ill deeds."
In addition to the ceremony in Rio, the truth commission also will hold its second meeting on Monday.


text: Hi guys, ok, some more information. I am using OpenMPI-1.2.8 and I only start 4 processes per node. So my hostfile looks like that: comp12 slots=4 comp18 slots=4 comp08 slots=4 And yes, one process is the idle one which does things in the background. I have observed similar degradions before with a different program (GAMESS) where in the end, running a job on one node was _faster_ then running it on more than one nodes. Clearly, there is a problem here. Interesting to note that the fith process is consuming memory as well, I did not see that at the time when I posted it. That is somehow odd as well, as a different calculation (same program) does not show that behaviour. I assume it is one extra process per job-group which will act as a master or shepherd for the slave processes. I know that GAMESS (which does not use MPI but ddi) has one additional process as data-server. IIRC, the extra process does come from NWChem, but I doubt I am oversubscribing the node as it usually should not do much, as mentioned before. I am still wondering whether that could be a network issue? Thanks for your comments! All the best Jorg On Wednesday 16 December 2009 04:42:59 beowulf-request at beowulf.org wrote: > Hi Glen, Jorg > > Glen: Yes, you are right about MPICH1/P4 starting extra processes. > However, I wonder if that is what is happening to Jorg, > of if what he reported is just plain CPU oversubscription. > > Jorg: Do you use MPICH1/P4? > How many processes did you launch on a single node, four or five? > > Glen: Out of curiosity, I dug out the MPICH1/P4 I still have on an > old system, compiled and ran "cpi.c". > Indeed there are extra processes there, besides the ones that > I intentionally started in the mpirun command line. > When I launch two processes on a two-single-core-CPU machine, > I also get two (not only one) extra processes, in a total of four. > > However, as you mentioned, > the extra processes do not seem to use any significant CPU. > Top shows the two actual processes close to 100% and the > extra ones close to zero. > Furthermore, the extra processes don't use any > significant memory either. > > Anyway, in Jorg's case all processes consumed about > the same (low) amount of CPU, but ~15% memory each, > and there were 5 processes (only one "extra"?, is it one per CPU socket? > is it one per core? one per node?). > Hence, I would guess Jorg's context is different. > But ... who knows ... only Jorg can clarify. > > These extra processes seem to be related to the > mechanism used by MPICH1/P4 to launch MPI programs. > They don't seem to appear in recent OpenMPI or MPICH2, > which have other launching mechanisms. > Hence my guess that Jorg had an oversubscription problem. > > Considering that MPICH1/P4 is old, no longer maintained, > and seems to cause more distress than joy in current kernels, > I would not recommend it to Jorg or to anybody anyway. > > Thank you, > Gus Correa > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > Gustavo Correa > Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory - Columbia University > Palisades, NY, 10964-8000 - USA > --------------------------------------------------------------------- -- ************************************************************* Jörg Saßmannshausen Research Fellow University of Strathclyde Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry 295 Cathedral St. Glasgow G1 1XL email: jorg.sassmannshausen at strath.ac.uk web: http://sassy.formativ.net Please avoid sending me Word or PowerPoint attachments. See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html


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China Re-Starts Hacking Program
This is important. According to a story in the New York Times today, the Chinese Army is back in the business of hacking into American computer systems to steal intellectual property and government security secrets. After a three month lull that coincided with a tongue lashing by the Obama administration the People's Liberation Army (PLA) unit 61398 is back in business and already operating at 60 to 70 percent of its pre-stand down effectiveness.
The story discloses how Coca Cola lost a bid to acquire China Huiyuan Juice Group after its systems were hacked and the Chinese presumably got Coke's strategy documents. The article also documents intrusions into defense suppliers and companies that have detailed information about American pipeline and electrical grid infrastructure.
It is clear that the Chinese aren't going to stop this behavior with a polite request and the U.S. government has to take more direct action to make its displeasure known.
From a broader perspective, this isn't how business partners are supposed to act. China has to figure out if it wants to have a productive relationship not only with America but with the West in general. For whatever reasons, the West and the Soviet Union chose confrontation, which resulted in a strategy of containment and by 1989 the Russians were barely functioning as an economy which resulted in the breakdown of the USSR.
If the Chinese want to go that route we should know and we should act accordingly. First step, Tweet this, pass it on and make some noise. We've lost a lot of factories to overseas competition but if we lose our IP we're toast.
Speak Up
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In addition to routine maintenance support, Forix can conduct several discovery tasks including:
Forix is a Magento Enterprise Solutions Partner with over 60 Magento certified experts. We have planned, designed, developed, and launched hundreds of successful eCommerce websites over a decade. We develop and optimize eCommerce solutions to maximize your revenue potential.


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Gwyneth Paltrow is hosting her lifestyle brand's first health event.
The actress and Goop.com founder announced Thursday that the inaugural "In goop Health" wellness summit on June 10 will feature appearances by Cameron Diaz, Nicole Richie and Lena Dunham.
The daylong event in Los Angeles will include panel discussions, fitness and meditation sessions, organic beauty offerings and a pop-up shop.
Tickets range from $500 to $1,500 and go on sale Thursday.
Copyright AP - Associated Press


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text:
"Creation" Film Not About Creation. We have been informed by John Peet in the UK that a new film, entitled Creation, due to be released in September with the support of a Christian ministry, actually promotes evolution. John has provided us with the following review of the film, from when he was invited to its public preview recently. We pass it on so that anyone who decides to see this film is not surprised by its forceful propagation of evolution. John Peet writes:
"I was invited to the preview showing of a new film to be released in the cinemas on September 25th. It is called Creation but don't be deceived – it is not about creation at all! It is a biographical drama about Charles Darwin. It is particularly concerned with his struggles over Annie's death and the dilemma he had about publishing his book. It is a very sad film (assuming the facts are reasonably correct) but it is especially sad spiritually.
A Christian charity, Damaris Trust, is producing literature to aid churches to deal with the issues arising. They are "encouraging people to see the film and think about the issues it raises and make the most of the opportunity." I have not seen their literature but a comment I heard suggests that it may be less than we would wish it to be. BUT please note that is a second-hand comment!
However, I would discourage folk from seeing it unless it is followed up by a competent Christian creationist. However, I would go further: I am positively advising against folk seeing it. Near the beginning it has a highly objectionable blasphemous comment by Huxley. I don't know whether it is a true quotation of what he said, but I found it very painful. It is an unnecessary inclusion and could be cut without affecting the storyline at all. So, be prepared for a month's time! It is being distributed by ICON and is a joint production by BBC Films (who else!) and the UK Film Council. It is based on the work of Darwin's great great grandson, Randal Keynes, and his book, Annie's Box." John Peet, August 2009.
Editorial Comment: It is foolish for 21st century Christian groups to pretend that Darwin's theory and the Bible say the same thing when Darwin himself knew they did not, and made no pretence to say so. Darwin and his associates knew his theory was not compatible with Christianity because evolution is a process of death, disease and struggle, and therefore cannot be reconciled with God's statement in Genesis 1:31 that all He made was initially very good. In his biography of Darwin, Keynes wrote: "After Annie's death, Charles set the Christian faith firmly behind him." In a review of the book in Science, vol 296, p1974, 14 June 2002 the reviewer wrote: "Freed from the last vestige of belief that the world was perfect because God created it that way, Darwin continued without spiritual restraint to work out his theory on the origin of species."
Working on his theory only reinforced his unbelief. Later in his life Darwin wrote: "I am sorry to have to inform you that I do not believe in the Bible as a divine revelation, & therefore not in Jesus Christ as the son of God." (Letter to Frederick McDermott, 24 November 1880).
It is about time Christian Churches stopped compromising with the world and chose to uphold the truth of the Word of God. (Ref. theistic evolution, apostasy, atheism)
Evidence News, 2 September 2009


text:
There is a SWJ Blog item too, with the official statement made:http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/201...illed-by-us-s/
Do you think the Pak Army/ISI finally decided to give up OBL? If so why?
Moderator's Note: Clearly this incident will resonate here and I thought it appropriate to have a a thread in this area 'Global Issues & Threats'. Fourteen threads have been merged here to create a collection for Bin Laden items after his demise @ Abbottabad. Renamed the thread too. (Ends).
Osama bin Laden Killed by U.S. Strike
Entry Excerpt:
Osama bin Laden Killed by U.S. Strike - ABC News
There is a SWC thread on the subject at: http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ad.php?t=13211
Read the full post and make any comments at the SWJ Blog.
This forum is a feed only and is closed to user comments.
Last edited by davidbfpo; 05-01-2016 at 10:00 PM. Reason: Mods Note added
There is a SWJ Blog item too, with the official statement made:http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/201...illed-by-us-s/
Do you think the Pak Army/ISI finally decided to give up OBL? If so why?
Last edited by davidbfpo; 05-01-2016 at 09:58 PM. Reason: Mod's Note moved and link to SWJ Post added.
"We fight, get beat, rise, and fight again." Gen. Nathanael Greene
Either OBL was given up on purpose by the Pak Army, ISI, or factions thereof, or the US acquired and acted upon intel without their help, which is entirely possible. The official Pakistani reaction will be interesting. I imagine comment from both sides will be sanitized to some extent, likely a large extent... still interesting to see what emerges. It would be tough for the Pakistani government to admit that they passed on information that led to an American operation on Pakistani soil, so I suppose they'll have to pitch it as an independent US operation, whatever the truth of it is.
Last edited by Dayuhan; 05-02-2011 at 04:57 AM.
The details will be really really interesting. If initial reports are true, then this was a secure location right next to the military academy. Does that mean they put him there because they thought no one would ever think they would do that? or does it mean they had nothing to do with putting him there? or (most likely?) "they" are split into different camps and the right hand does not know what the left is doing?
This reminds me of a famous battle of wits: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQNHBUqfLnM
Anyway, great news. Good work by a lot of people must have been involved. Well done.
I also doubt that we'd share the intel, though assistance from the Pakis (or at least someone within their organizations) may (or may not) have been the source of the intel in the first place.
There's certainly a fair bit that won't be told, at least initially; still it will be interesting to see who says what, and what the reaction is on the streets in Pakistan.
It will make for a great book, but the movie will be hosed up by Hollywood.
Last edited by jcustis; 05-02-2011 at 05:33 AM.
Clearly this incident will resonate here and I thought it appropriate to have a a thread in this area 'Global Issues & Threats'. In a moment I will move some of the very recent posts to here and add a note to current threads for posts on the issue to be placed here.
Last edited by davidbfpo; 05-02-2011 at 08:18 AM. Reason: Created and then out of sequence as previous posts moved here.
This is wonderful emotionally satisfying news and salutes to all involved in pulling it off, but I am going to make a very dark comment that I hope isn't true. Why did the Pak Army/ISI give up OBL now after all these years? We have never had the nerve to creditably threaten them or even strongly condemn them in the past. What changed? What I hope to hell didn't happen was we made a deal, they give us AQ and we give them Afghanistan.
"We fight, get beat, rise, and fight again." Gen. Nathanael Greene
The BBC's comment on the raid:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13257330
Michael Scheueur was interviewed and stated US intelligence was assisted by the UK and Canada.Details are emerging of how al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was found and killed at a fortified compound on the outskirts of Abbottabad in north-west Pakistan...It is just 800 yards from the Pakistan Military Academy, an elite military training centre, which correspondents say is Pakistan's equivalent to Britain's Sandhurst military training academy...The compound lies within Abbottabad's military cantonment - it is likely the area would have had a constant and significant military presence and checkpoints.
(Later)BBC correspondents say US troops were probably operating out of a base used by US Marines in Tarbela Ghazi, an area close to Abbottabad.
We don't know that OBL was given up by the Pak Army/ISI, and I'm not prepared to assume that he was. It's entirely possible that the US did it on their own.
Also possible that individuals within Pak Army/ISI provided intel on their own, for their own purposes, without institutional intent.
It does leave the Pak Army in a somewhat embarrassing place, considering that he was hiding out literally in their backyard. Will be interesting to see what they have to say on that.
Last edited by Dayuhan; 05-02-2011 at 08:47 AM. Reason: addition
Would that really be such a bad deal? Not like we really want Afghanistan... in fact, short of HIV or rabies I can think of few things I'd want less. Without AQ, what reason have we to be there anyway?
Not that I have any reason to suppose such a deal was made, or that removing OBL will eliminate AQ, but if we really had the option of making a deal where we get out of Afghanistan in return for AQ's exclusion from Afghanistan and Pakistan, it might not be such a bad thing, assuming the other side of the deal could and would deliver (big assumption).
This is a great opportunity to declare victory and get out of the mess.
Bin Laden News Roundup (Update in Progress)
Entry Excerpt:
Al Qaeda
Obama Announces Death of Osama bin Laden - Voice of America
Bin Laden is Dead - New York Times
Bin Laden Killed, 'Justice Has Been Done' - Washington Post
U.S. Forces Kill Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan - BBC News
Osama Bin Laden Killed in Shootout, Obama Says - Reuters
Officials Provide Details on bin Laden Operation - Voice of America
Body Buried at Sea After Raid in Pakistan - New York Times
Detective Work on Courier Led to Breakthrough - New York Times
Bin Laden Was Found at Luxury Pakistan Compound - Reuters
Perhaps Largest Manhunt in U.S. History - Voice of America
Senior Official in Pakistan's ISI Confirms Bin Laden Killed - Reuters
The Most Wanted Face of Terrorism - New York Times
Death of Bin Laden Not Mean Demise of Al Qaeda - New York Times
Egypt's Al-Zawahri Likely to Succeed Bin Laden - Associated Press
Al Qaeda No.2 Zawahri Most Likely to Succeed Bin Laden - Reuters
Islamists: Bin Laden Death Will Not Mute Jihad Call - Reuters
Amid Cheers, a Message: They Will Be Caught - New York Times
Afghans Fear West May See Death as the End - New York Times
Afghan Leader: Bin Laden Strike Is Blow to Terror - Associated Press
Afghan Leader Tells Taliban Not to Fight After Bin Laden's Death - Reuters
Joy Erupts on U.S. Streets With Killing of Bin Laden - Reuters
Bin Laden's Death Draws Cheers, Relief, Dismay - Associated Press
Israel: Bin Laden Killing Triumph for Democracies - Reuters
India Hails Bin Laden Death, More Needed to Fight Terrorism - Reuters
Vatican Says Bin Laden Will Have to Answer to God - Reuters
Muslim Brotherhood: U.S. Should Now Quit Iraq, Afghanistan - Reuters
Bin Laden's Death: Reaction in Quotes - BBC News
Obamas Remarks on Bin Ladens Killing - New York Times transcript
After Osama bin Laden... - New York Times opinion
Read the full post and make any comments at the SWJ Blog.
This forum is a feed only and is closed to user comments.
While I do not believe that this makes any difference regarding the threat of AQ (real or imagined), I do agree with Fuchs that this provides a political opportunity to declare victory and go home. Once again, we can abandon Afghanistan if we so choose.
-john bellflower
Rule of Law in Afghanistan
"You must, therefore know that there are two means of fighting: one according to the laws, the other with force; the first way is proper to man, the second to beasts; but because the first, in many cases, is not sufficient, it becomes necessary to have recourse to the second." -- Niccolo Machiavelli (from The Prince)
They catch the number one dude on the most wanted list for ten years and then proceed to dump the cadaver in the ocean? Im not one for conspiracy theories but this is IMO a bit odd.
Nothing that results in human progress is achieved with unanimous consent. (Christopher Columbus)
All great truth passes through three stages: first it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
(Arthur Schopenhauer)
It seems to minimise backlash by those who count, though.
I asked these questions here on Small Wars in January. I think they are particularly relevant today, so interested to hear people's thoughts:
Here is a survey I posted and had some good participation on it, mostly from academics. I throw it up here as I'd like to get the perspective of those that have been deployed to AFG/IZ and other CT assignments. Here are the three questions I posted and would enjoy any and all thoughts on this topic.
Here's the poll:
Overall theme of the poll:
If Usama Bin Laden were killed in 2011, would it matter to the global jihadi movement?
Question #1:
What will be the chief consequence of Usama Bin Ladens death to the global jihadi movement? (Only pick One!)
-Status Quo- No substantial change in AQ activity
-AQ Central directed plots against U.S. and its Allies decrease substantially
-AQAP becomes new AQ Central
-Some other AQ member in AF/PAK becomes leader of AQ Central
-AQ Central loses its chief sponsor, the Haqqani network
-AQ fundraising increases substantially
-AQ fundraising diminishes substantially
-Taliban more reluctant to make peace with Karzai
-AQ-inspired recruitment slows substantially
-AQ-inspired recruitment accelerates substantially
-AQ Central directed plots against U.S. and its Allies increase substantially
-Taliban pursue a peace settlement with Karzai
-AQ Central shifts focus to pursue guerilla warfare in Central Asia
Question #2:
What will be the chief consequence of UBLs death for the U.S. and its Western allies? (Only pick One!)
Public pressure forces early withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan.
Public pressure forces a refocus on counterterrorism operations (Biden Plan).
Status Quo- No substantial change in U.S. and Western operations.
Question #3:
Would UBLs death result in more or less AQ-inspired attacks over the next five years? (2011- 2016) (Only pick One!)
-No Change in the pace of attacks.
So I'm having a look at the Google map for the location of where OBL was zapped in relation to local points of interest.
Pakistan Military Academy
Combined Military Hospital
Pakistan Military Training Grounds
Military housing and other military facilities all over the place
Admittedly I haven't read enough John Le Carre novels to come close to the understanding the complex intrigue and craziness that is Pakistan and it's internal/external political/military/intelligence soap opera.
But I keep going back to the same altered history anology:
Imagine it's 1955, and the Russians just found Hitler living in a somewhat larger than average Levittown house in West Point, New York living amongst a whole bunch of current and prior service soldiers.
How is it even POSSIBLE, or more importantly, SPINNABLE?
Pakistani intrigue is too thick and murky for me to even guess as to their involvement.....but if I had to guess: Pakistan "boots on the ground" would be OBL's Tuesday Poker Night and Kosher BBQ buddies, and "advance notice" was +/- 30 seconds to entry...Pakistani ISI media ops must be working late nights spinning this mess.
For once, it would be nice to hear something resembling the truth as to Pakistani culpability in the harboring/management of OBL.
How is this anything other than the US having "pants" Pakistan in front of the entire planet?
If it was a truly coordinated raid in partnership with Pakistan at some ludicrous price, how will that work when the truth, or some semblance of it, comes out?
How does pretending Pakistan doesn't have access/influence/control over OBL and being strung along by the Pakistanis for years play to the public if/when they find out?
Isn't pandering to Pakistan, who is holding OBL hostage to us, in order to avoid logistical/supply disruptions in a mission that originally focused on finding-fixing-finishing OBL/AQ a bit like an Excel circular reference error?
I am only an interested amateur.....but I'm thinking it's a perfect excuse for the current administration might capitalize on to not only exit stage left(and gain in the polls for 2012).....but to possibly shift allegiance and support more quickly/strongly away from Pakistan and towards India.
Probably not adding any value to the conversation, but just wanted to throw it out there.
Your survey is now even more topical and will you be able to view the responses seperately: pre-OBL death and post-OBL death?
General comments
KoW have a good commentary and commend the evolving Wikipedia story too, respectively: http://kingsofwar.org.uk/2011/05/bin...l-an-ideology/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Osama_bin_Laden
Struck me as odd too KG. Islamic law forbids burial at sea in all but the most extreme circumstances; i.e., death at sea during naval combat and even then the utmost is done to retreive the body to bury it on land. That'll be likely to offend "certain types" more than OBL's "martydrom" (which is what they all want anyway so won't act as a deterrent as much as the knowledge that they can be killed, captured or destroyed no matter where they hide).
Interestingly, I was channel hopping to see what different news media channels made of the effort and the Pakistani ARY stated that OBL was found with the assistance of local police (BS if ever I heard it) whilst India's Star News had no qualms about showing OBL's dead face whilst "bigging up" the US SEALS! OTOH Iran has said that now he's dead the US doesn't need to be in Afghanistan. Here, here (not that I'd normally agree with the Iranians). Let's get the hell out (now that we've been given an out).
Congrats to all involved though. Job Done.


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Yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of the creation of the Michigan Economic Growth Authority, a business-tax credit and subsidy program designed to create new and keep existing jobs in the state. The Mackinac Center has published two rigorous analyses of MEGA: "MEGA: A Retrospective Assessment" in 2005, and "Michigan Economic Development Corporation: A Review and Analysis" in 2009.
Both studies found that the program had no impact on overall job creation in the state. The Mackinac Center is not the only organization to examine MEGA and find it lacking. Last month, the Anderson Economic Group found that the opportunity cost of the MEGA program — how much was lost by relying on this program rather than a particular alternative, such as an overall business-tax cut — was 8,200 jobs. That is, Michigan would have been better off economically if the state had just cut taxes for all businesses instead of operating a targeted tax break program.
A fourth MEGA study was released this month by the Upjohn Institute, this one slightly favorable. It uses a "conjoined input-output model" known as "REMI" to simulate the fiscal impacts that the program allegedly had on the economy and on government tax collections.
The authors conclude that MEGA incentives are a decisive factor in inducing economic development in slightly more than 8 percent of business site selection decisions. Even if one were to double this success rate, however, the program would "win" new jobs for Michigan at only slightly better than the rate at which the Detroit Lions won games last year (2 wins out of 14 games, or around 14 percent).
The authors also note that even with these small successes, the program still has a slightly negative effect on the state budget, averaging less than $4,000 per job per year. This figure actually understates the real cost of the program because with most tax credit deals come other, non-MEGA incentives.
The authors conclude that on balance, selectively handing out MEGA favors to particular businesses is more effective than alternatives.
It should be noted that the Upjohn authors disagreed with the two Mackinac Center MEGA studies. Michael Hicks, co-author of those studies, offered rejoinders to their criticism and their new paper in an essay, "MEGA Critique: A Response."
Get insightful commentary and the most reliable research on Michigan issues sent straight to your inbox.
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a nonprofit research and educational institute that advances the principles of free markets and limited government. Through our research and education programs, we challenge government overreach and advocate for a free-market approach to public policy that frees people to realize their potential and dreams.
Please consider contributing to our work to advance a freer and more prosperous state.


text:
I'm breaking the rules this week because this isn't something from my home or garden but I'm like a kid with a new toy right now! I bought a new car!!! I wasn't planning on buying one for a few more months but my old car needed $2400 in repairs and since it was 10 years old and had 150,000 miles on it, it wasn't even worth that much anymore so I was sort of forced to buy a new one! It's not brand new, it's a 2006 Chrystler Sebring. I actually wanted a car that was only about a year old but this one only had 22,000 miles on it , the price was great and it looks brand new so I couldn't pass it up even if it was the first and only car I looked at! I did look at quite a few online first though.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


text:
The Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce on Saturday hosted a free fitness festival for the entire family, complete with live dance classes, yoga, and health and fitness screenings and live entertainment.
Held on the Third Street Promenade, Chamber member organizations gathered at the Festival to share expertise, advice, and product samples that promote a healthy and happy lifestyle for the entire Santa Monica Community.
This year's event also featured a "Trainer Challenge." Trainers on the Westside were encouraged to compete in a series of events for the title of Santa Monica's Best Trainer.
Judges included Lori Corbin, Food Coach, KABC-TV, and Andy Pritikin.
The Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce advocates and represents business' interests and issues affecting the community.
They provide the environment to help members prosper and succeed through a proactive working partnership with all levels of government and community organization.


text:
Kernel Traffic Latest | Archives | People | Topics |
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